Our Procurement Process
Our mission is to encourage and promote fair and open competition for city contracts through a detailed procurement process that ensures equality, non-discrimination, and compliance with all applicable laws. We abide by a recent law, HB 489 passed in 2018, which requires any bid or proposal extended by a city or county for goods valued at $10,000 or more or any bid for public works subject to Chapter 91 of Title 36 of the O.C.G.A be posted on the Georgia Procurement Registry. Our department also encourages fiscal responsibility in all purchases including those that are not subject to the bid process.
We advocate the delivery of high-quality products and services in a timely manner at reasonable prices that meet the needs our city staff and our constituents. We are committed to the highest standard of integrity, trust, and ethical practices.
As of 3/29/2021, the City of Stonecrest will publish all solicitation opportunities to BidNet Direct’s Georgia Purchasing Group. All pertinent details and contact information will be included in the specific documents. Click here to access all solicitations.
Our Procurement Ethics
We Avoid Conflicts of Interest
Examples of Our Principles
- City employees may not work on a solicitation for a contract on which member of their extended family has a financial interest
- City employees should not accept gifts or favors from current or potential vendors
- City employees may not disclose confidential information that could influence a vendor's bid response, change the outcome of an award or place the City's interest in jeopardy
- City employees may not disclose confidential information for personal gain.
We Have Procedures to Address Unfair Advantages
Fairness is essential in the municipal procurement process. During an open solicitation, a process called the "cone of silence" is used from the time the solicitation is advertised through the successful awarding of the contract. The cone of silence is meant to safeguard information that could provide an unfair advantage to prospective bidders. This cone of silence means that no private communication will be conducted between city employees and bidders regarding the solicitation or the project. This department manages this process so that no appearance of inappropriate communication of unfair advantages are created. Public communication with all bidders is permitted. This communication includes:
- Formal responses to the Invitation to Bid, Request for Proposal or Request for Qualifications
- Written requests for clarification during the question, answer period. The answers must be made public
- Communications during an oral interview, proof of concept, or field evaluation at the request of the City's Procurement Department.
Our Purchasing/Formal Solicitation Process
Stonecrest requires competitive solicitations for all goods and services in excess of $25,000. The only method to bypass this requirement is with a sole source or single source procurement.
Steps in Our Procurement Process
- The ITB, RFQ, RFP document is prepared by the Procurement Department and the City Department that will manage the product or service
- The Procurement Department will advertise the bid
- Sealed bids are received.
- The Procurement Department evaluates all bids for compliance and subcontracting requirements if applicable.
- Sealed bids are opened publicly and reviewed by the Procurement Department and a recommendation is made by an independent evaluation committee.
- Contract is reviewed by the city attorney, awarded, and fully executed. Note: In some cases, the contract must be voted on by the Mayor and City Council
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